Friday, July 15, 2022
Unintentionally this post is following close on the heals of my last post. I came across the article to which I refer in that post while writing this one. I still have an image in my mind of when I left my house in South Wales about sixteen years ago. All personal belongings gone, just an empty shell, echoing loudly with that sound only an empty house has that is now just full of memories.
I came across this article in The Guardian from 2002 about the eco-house that I built in South Wales. I found a PDF version on my computer and then went looking online, and it is still there.
Some days just feel difficult, like trudging through treacle. Today is one of those days. It feels hard to get anything done and focus. I’m trying to accept that and bring it to light as opposed to hiding it under distractions.
It rained last night and I woke up to rain this morning. It’s a Saturday and right now a rainy Saturday feels like the right mood for the day, a situation that I could settle into quite comfortably right now.
I love Rainbow Shower Trees. Their flowers come in yellow, as in this photo, red, a sort of hyrid of these two colours, white with a hint of yellow, white with a hint of red. For me a Rainbow Shower Tree in full bloom sings to me of joy and happiness, and on a hot day a mature tree offers plenty of shade.
This is not the best photo of Rainbow Shower Trees, but when I rounded the corner and saw them on this hot day, their brightness called out to me.
I had to psyche myself up for a job today. A job which through no process of negotiation that I am aware of, always falls at my feet. It is - changing the bed sheets. Now, no sniggering!
The first part of this is easy - strip the bed, put the sheets, pillow cases and duvet cover in the washing machine and press start. Once finished, into the drier (I tend to put the duvet cover in by itself otherwise it will swamp everything else, making the drying process that much longer).
Next comes the real challenge of the whole process, making the bed. Why? I think that it is because nothing ever seems to fit easily. Once the bed is made, perfect, it looks great, feels wonderful (I would even say delicious), but until then it is between me, the bed and the linen.
I have to complete this project by as early in the day as possible, otherwise the likelihood of being left to sleep on top of an unmade bed increases as the day progresses. Today I had to go out and did not get back until early afternoon, so the clock was already well advanced.
In my mind I break up this final part into stages. I can then mentally tick off each section of the bed and not get so overwhelmed.
The real challenge of this whole process is the duvet. I see it as a wrestling match. Getting the cover on, duvet well spread out through the cover, lumps out, buttoned up and spread nicely on the bed. I approach the duvet by telling myself that once it is done, it is done. That helps me launch into it, though I might have to convince myself a couple of times.
…And once it is completed, the count down begins for the next clean sheets day.
But today, I was victorious.
And the reward? I get to sleep in a deliciously (that adjective again) clean, crisp bed.
Good night. 😴
Sitting nurturing a migraine on its second day. Just wanting the world to be still and quiet.
Summer showers,
Heavy but brief -
Steam rising from the asphalt.
Friday, July 1, 2022
June 2022 Hello Friend, Well I have been quieter in my posts this month. Not that I am the most frequent of posters at the best of times, but I feel that I have been vocal in my quietness through June. I look back through the month and believe that the main thing that saw this lack of writing output was a lack of space in my life. I work much better when I know that I won’t be disturbed.
Currently reading: Practicing Peace in Times of War by Pema Chodron. Actually I have this book on regular reruns, picking it up and reading a few pages during my meditation practice. I need to be reminded of the material in this book. I need to be reminded that as much as I might complain about the actions of others, peace starts with softening the rigidity in my own heart. 📚
I love the expression (emphasis mine) that Thich Nhat Hanh used, in the quote below, to describe the dopamine effect that we feel when receiving a response through our devices.
We all crave connection, and many of us try to find it through our phones or e-mail. We feel a neurochemical sweetness when someone sends us a text or an e-mail, and we feel anxious when were not with our phones or near them.
Amazon has its uses 😋
I find myself making another cup of coffee…and I have to be honest, I don’t know whether I am doing so because I want it, or as a distraction from what I am doing?! ☕
I find something very compelling in this quote by Mingyur Rinpoche, that we can train our minds so that ”happiness will arise naturally.”
Our mind is very important and all our experiences of happiness and unhappiness arise in the mind. So if we can train our minds then happiness will arise naturally. This happiness is real lasting peace which you will have in the external environment as well as in your inner mind.
Finished reading: Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh. I read a few pages each morning during my meditation time. A beautiful book and a reminder to quieten the noise of, in Thay’s words, Radio Station NST: Non-Stop Thinking. 📚
Come and join me for sunset at the cliffs near Ho’okipa, on the north shore of Maui. In the center distance it is possible to see the island of Molokai.
Music, smells, sounds…they can all be so powerful in invoking memories. I was reminded of this while watching a short video about ABBA’s recently premiered Voyage Concert series in London. Hearing those old songs, and with listening to them on Apple Music as I type this, I am transported to the time that they won the Eurovision Song Contest and my teenage years, which (along with the Sex Pistols and others!), were the soundtrack to that time in my life.
A clear, starlit sky over our home.
The struggle sometimes (always?…no, I’ll stick with sometimes) of putting pen to paper, tapping on the keys, and getting a piece of writing finished and ready to go public. This critical, judgmental voice in the head crying out the piece’s imperfections or the way it will be received. And, of course, the longer the delay in publishing, the less the output.
Recognize the voices, David. Hear them, acknowledge them, and then allow them to sit in the corner and chat amongst themselves while I carry on tapping and producing. They’ll jump up occasionally wanting attention, but just help them back into their seats and get back to the writing.
There…that wasn’t so difficult, was it?!
Morning rainbow 🌈
